I Write What I Like

Selected Writings

Paper $24.00ISBN: 9780226048970
Published
September 2002
For sale only in the United States, its dependencies, the Philippines, and Canada

E-book $10.00 to $21.00About E-booksISBN: 9780226368535
Published
October 2015
For sale only in the United States, its dependencies, the Philippines, and Canada

"The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed." Like all of Steve Biko’s writings, those words testify to the passion, courage, and keen insight that made him one of the most powerful figures in South Africa’s struggle against apartheid. They also reflect his conviction that black people in South Africa could not be liberated until they united to break their chains of servitude, a key tenet of the Black Consciousness movement that he helped found.

I Write What I Like contains a selection of Biko’s writings from 1969, when he became the president of the South African Students’ Organization, to 1972, when he was prohibited from publishing. The collection also includes a preface by Archbishop Desmond Tutu; an introduction by Malusi and Thoko Mpumlwana, who were both involved with Biko in the Black Consciousness movement; a memoir of Biko by Father Aelred Stubbs, his longtime pastor and friend; and a new foreword by Professor Lewis Gordon.

Biko’s writings will inspire and educate anyone concerned with issues of racism, postcolonialism, and black nationalism.

AcknowledgmentsForeword by Lewis R. GordonEditor’s PrefacePreface by Archbishop Desmond TutuIntroductionGlossary1. Biographical Summary2. SASO—its Role, its Significance and Its Future3. Letter to SRC Presidents4. Black Campuses and Current Feelings5. Black Souls in White Skins?6. We Blacks7. Fragmentation of the Black Resistance8. Some African Cultural Concepts9. The Definition of Black Consciousness10. The Church as seen by a Young Layman11. White Racism and Black Consciousness12. Fear—an important Determinant in South African Politics13. Let’s talk about Bantustans14. Black Consciousness and the Quest for a True Humanity15. What is Black Consciousness?16. ’The Righteousness of our Strength’17. American Policy towards Azania18. Our Strategy for Liberation19. On DeathMartyr of Hope: A Personal Memoirby Aelred Stubbs C.R.

For more information, or to order this book, please visit https://www.press.uchicago.edu